The New Start treaty caps the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads for the US and Russia to 1,550 each
The last nuclear weapons control treaty between the US and Russia is due to expire on Thursday, raising fears of a new arms race.
The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as “New START” and signed in 2010 was one of a handful of agreements designed to help prevent a catastrophic nuclear war.
The treaty capped the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads for each party to 1,550. It also established some transparency including data transfer, notifications and on site inspections.
The treaty’s expiry effectively marks an end to the arms control co-operation between Washington and Moscow that helped bring an end to the Cold War.
On Wednesday, Pope Leo urged the US and Russia to renew the treaty, saying the current world situation required “calls for doing everything possible to avert a new arms race”.
The original Start treaty – signed in 1991 by the US and the Soviet Union – barred each of the two signatories from deploying more than 6,000 nuclear warheads.
It was succeeded by New Start signed in 2010 in Prague by the US and Russia, the successor state to the dissolved Soviet Union.
Despite a technical suspension three years ago, both countries were still thought to be abiding by the treaty.
The agreement prevented the uncontrolled build-up of nuclear weapons and provided the two countries with the largest nuclear arsenals with transparency measures to avoid misjudging each other’s intentions.
By Anthony Solly
